I started to work on the shelves along the back wall of the bar next. I wanted lighted glass shelves to place the bottles of booze on so I routed out the edges of the top piece of wood and inserted a glass shelf in the cutout on both sides. I have an old stainless steel aquarium, a 20 gallon tall, that I wanted to incorporate into the back wall. When building the shelves on the back, I built a center section that accomodated the height of the tank with enough clearance for me to open the top and access the tank, then dropped down for the bottle sections.

So in designing the back, I placed the aquarium in the center and the bottle shelves on either side. I then installed florescent light fixtures under the bottle shelves so that the light shone up through the glass shelves as well as shine down on the as yet to be built shelf below.

I then built a whole series of shelves that extend all the way up the wall stopping about 18" short of the ceiling. I stained them all with the dark stain and really liked the results. The woven lauhala matting makes a nice background for the shelving. Next I installed the mirrors for the background of the bottle areas. I used the mirror squares from Lowe's as they are easy to install and economical. Again, I don't have a very big budget for this project so I am constantly looking for economical ways to build this but still keeping a nice look to it.

One thing that really was bothering me though was the look of the light bamboo that I had attached to the front of the bar. I preferred the look of the new dark stain I had used on the bar top and the shelves so I decided to experiment and try to use the stain on the bamboo and I was very excited to see the results, so I decided to stain all the bamboo on the front. I also installed clear rope lights under the bar top to shine down on the bamboo, not as bright as I would like but I like thee results.

So I started to get really excited as I placed my tiki mug collection on the shelves and my hanging tiki on the wall. I bought a lava lamp on ebay,I had always wanted one but never had one. I placed all my liquor bottles and arranged my tiki lights and other torpical collections on the shelves.

My objective for this bar was to go retro 50's-60's with a bit of Tiki Room nostalgia thrown in. I grew up in Orange going to Disneyland every chance I got so I have a great affection for all things that remind me of that time. Adventureland was always one of my favorite lands. My photography leaves a lot to be desired, I promise to take some better photos soon but here you can see what it looks like so far.

Your bar looks great! Meant to comment on this a while ago but suppose I missed it. I'm working on a bar in my garage now, too, so great to look at this (again) and see the awesome work you've done. The lighting, especially the little spotlight on the tiki looks awesome.

Thanks for the comments, been just enjoying the bar and not posting recent photos. We had a birthday party for my daughter and I thought it would be the perfect time to premier the bar. It was a great hit! Everyone loved it and it was so much fun watching it come alive with more than willing participants It's my fav hangout! I'll post more photos soon.

Aloha fellow tikiphiles, I apologize for being away, I moved over the Thanksgiving weekend and the Tiki Shack had to come down. I knew we would have to move when I built it so it was built with portability in mind. With the holidays over and all the pieces laying around in my garage, I could not wait to start putting it back together. And of course, I had to do all the upgrades to our new place for the lady first!

But this time, I know what areas of the bar I was not satisfied with the first time, so I am able to build it a little bigger and better than before, yeah!!! My garage in this house affords me the opportunity to build it bigger and I like the way it it situated better. I will be posting pictures of my progress, one of the things I did better was pour a two part epoxy on the bar top. I found it at Lowe's and it was not too expensive so I went for it. I also decided to glue more photos on the bar top this time. I have a combination of retro Tiki Bar ads, Disneyland Tiki Room, classic surf movies, and Hawaii travel ads. All are encased in the epoxy. I love the look which is what I was hoping for with the Varithane but it just never got thick enough.

I had only one issue with the epoxy, some of my photos lifted at the corners and so they stick up a little, but I am overall very happy with the result, it looks like glass and is very easy to wipe up messes. I also faced all of the shelves with Bamboo splits. I love the way this finishes off the fronts of the shelves. I have also discovered the wonder of LED lights. I bought a couple of strands of LEDs for my shelves, I had rope lights before but was never happy with the brightness or the stiffness of the rope which made it hard to bend and position without seeing the rope. I am installing the LEDs behind the bamboo facing since they are so small so you can't see the lights just the effect of them. They come with a remote control that allows me to turn them different colors, sequence, brighter or dimmer, or flash. I am so excited about this addition to the bar, I can't wait to install them.

I am also going to re-design the fountain. I am thinking about gluing two bowls together, (back to back)and spraying them with foam which I will then sculpt into tiki designs. I found an LED fixture that I will be putting underwater to shine up into the fountain spray and it changes color. I am so excited about this new addition also. I'll keep you posted on this one as it evolves.

I am so happy to have my Tiki retreat back, like having an old friend back! Oh! I almost forgot to mention something else that will make this bar better than the old. Our new place came with a fridge, so our old fridge ended up in the Tiki Shack! YES! No more runs to the freezer inside the house! Ice and cold juices right at my fingertips )). I'll be posting photos soon, until then, thanks for reading and looking, and any and all comments are encouraged and appreciated!

I am so excited about the progress I made today. I finished the bamboo facing and was trying to decide whether to stain it or leave it natural. My wife wanted to leave it but I thought it needed some stain. So I compromised and stained it then after a few minutes I rubbed the stain into the bamboo. The stain brought out the character of the bamboo and I am so happy with the results. See what you think. These are before and afters.

Another new toy I found on Ebay is LED strip lights. I had rope lights to light up my shelves but I was not happy with how unflexible and dim the light was. I did not want to see the source of the light, just the light. I found the perfect solution in these LEDs. They are as big as a line of tape and the color combinations are endless! They even have an adhesive back, just peel off the backing and apply to where you want them to be. I am very stoked about the results.

Now my reward, I get to unpack everything and put my bar back together! Can't wait to taste my first Mai Tai at my bar again! It's been 3 months!I downed half of that box of Thin Mints while working today, LOL!

So happy with my progress this weekend, still have lots to do but at least it is now functioning and I can spend time at my Tiki Bar again! Thanks for looking!

I know the pics are terrible, they really do not do this bar justice. I took them with my Iphone, we just moved and I packed my nice camera and I can't find it As soon as I find it I will take some better photos. This weekend I plan on setting up the aquarium that goes in the cneter of the bar on the back wall. I also decided to move my 90 gallon tank so it is next to the fridge. I will be making it into a planted discus tank, I think it will make a great addition to the tiki theme and add a lot of color. So much to do and so little time. I'm so excited about how this re-build is going. I also am planning on building a bamboo railing to keep my tiki mugs safe on the lower shelf in case of earthquake. It's been a while since we had a good shaker so I want to make sure not to get lazy and risk losing my whole collection. I'll post more photos this weekend.

Oh and thank you Howlinowl, I am not finished with the A-frame, I am planning on dressing it up with some lengths of bamboo and toying with the idea of adding a small narrow piece of wood on either sides of the opening and painting a south pacific design on it. I am also thinking about designing a sign and mounting it to the roof.

Congratulations on the move. Wow...can't believe how much you have accomplished. It is really looking good and the bamboo stain is really nice. Looking forward to more pics. Have fun!!!
_________________ "Oh waiter, another cocktail please!!!"